The present invention relates to a self-propelled, vehicle-mounted conveyor system used to place concrete or other aggregate materials in a desired location. More specifically, the present invention is a vehicle-mounted conveyor system that includes an infeed conveyor assembly having an extendable feed section including an outer portion that is pivotable relative to a base portion such that the infeed conveyor assembly can be used to unload aggregate materials directly from a supply source.
Vehicle-mounted, extendable concrete conveyor systems, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,357, have been in wide use for some time. Vehicle-mounted conveyor systems of this type have been found to be very useful because the concrete, or other aggregate material, can be transferred to a location at the work site that may be located a considerable distance from the supply of material. The vehicle-mounted conveyor system has proven to be very useful since the entire conveyor system can be quickly and easily moved by simply moving the vehicle on which the conveyor system is mounted. The conveyor system not only can be moved around the work site, but also includes a discharge conveyor assembly having a telescoping boom that can be extended and retracted, rotated about a vertical axis, and elevated to considerable heights. The vehicle-mounted conveyor system identified above can be moved from a working position to a transporting position and the entire vehicle and conveyor system can be transported over highways to travel between various work sites.
The extendable discharge conveyor assembly of the conveyor system includes a moving discharge conveyor belt that is fed by a second, infeed conveyor assembly. One end of the infeed conveyor assembly is positioned to receive a supply of concrete from a ready-mix truck or other type of delivery means. The infeed conveyor assembly transfers the material onto the discharge conveyor belt, which in turn transports the material to the desired point at the work site.
In currently available vehicle-mounted conveyor systems, the infeed conveyor assembly has a fixed length and is mounted to a main turret on the vehicle body. The infeed conveyor assembly is rotatable about the main turret such that the infeed conveyor assembly can be positioned at various locations around the vehicle. In addition, the entire infeed conveyor assembly is typically pivotally mounted to the main turret about a horizontal axis such that the outermost end of the infeed conveyor assembly can be raised and lowered as desired. For example, the entire infeed conveyor assembly can be raised above the vehicle and stored in a transporting position above the vehicle cab. Since the maximum length for the vehicle, including the discharge conveyor assembly and the infeed conveyor assembly in their transporting position, should not exceed 40 feet, the overall, fixed length of the infeed conveyor assembly is typically 40 feet.
The self-propelled, vehicle-mounted conveyor system is often used to transport aggregate materials, such as sand or loose gravel, supplied by a dump truck. The width of a conventional dump truck is approximately 102 inches and unloads material across its full width at a height not more than 30 inches from the ground. The above-described fixed length infeed conveyor assembly cannot be used alone to unload a dump truck, since the change in height of the infeed conveyor over the width of the dump truck exceeds the unloading height of the dump truck. For example, when the infeed conveyor assembly is at an incline of approximately 20.degree., the change in height of the infeed conveyor assembly is approximately 37 inches over the 102 inch width of the dump truck body. Therefore, if a dump truck backs up directly to the conventional fixed length infeed conveyor assembly, the height of the infeed conveyor assembly will exceed the loading height for the dump truck along a portion of the width of the dump truck body.
To overcome the unloading problems identified above, the conventional fixed length infeed conveyor assembly is positioned beneath an independent hopper that receives the supply of aggregate material from a front end loader or additional conveyor and feeds the aggregate material onto the endless conveyor belt contained in the infeed conveyor assembly. The hopper is required to accumulate the supply of aggregate material as the material is fed from the supply source and position the material above the inclined conveyor belt contained in the infeed conveyor assembly.
Without the hopper, the supply of aggregate material from the supply source, such as a cement truck, falls off the inclined conveyor and is not adequately conveyed to the discharge conveyor assembly. During transportation of the vehicle including the conveyor assembly, the hopper must be stored on the vehicle separate from the infeed conveyor assembly.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a vehicle-mounted conveyor system in which the infeed conveyor assembly allows a dump truck to unload in full width directly onto the full width of the infeed conveyor assembly without any additional special equipment or machinery. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle-mounted conveyor system in which the infeed conveyor assembly includes an a feed section that can be pivoted about a horizontal axis to provide a horizontal feed surface to receive a supply of aggregate material from a supply source. It is a further object of the invention to provide a locking assembly between an outer portion and an inner portion of the feed section such that the outer portion can be secured into a locked transporting position in which the outer portion is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the infeed conveyor assembly. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an endless conveyor belt that extends between the outer portion and the inner portion of the feed section and allows the outer portion to be pivoted and positioned at an angle relative to the inner portion.
Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible collection bin formed on the feed section of the infeed conveyor assembly such that the collection bin can be assembled when the outer portion of the feed section is positioned at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the infeed conveyor assembly. Further, it is an object of the invention to provide a support assembly contained on the outer portion of the feed section to support the outer portion on the ground adjacent to the supply of aggregate material when the outer portion is positioned at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the infeed conveyor assembly.